garden design advice/suggestions appreciated

Matt P

3 years ago

Hello

I'm looking to do a fairly sizeable makeover with our garden.

Current issues:

light being bounced off neighbours solar panel into our kitchen/lounge

dull garage

the lawn is divided into two sections with the bottom one being too small

Plans:

Remove existing trees and pavings and replace current trees with pleached trees to hide the solar panels

Build a pizza oven and bbq in an l-shape next to garage

Moving the mid-way section of the lawn 2.5 metres towards the house to leave a larger lower lawn section and add a patio to the top section

The two sections will be split by a white rendered wall (immediately behind the L-shape bbq/pizza oven) with a 2/3 metre gap in the middle leading to the new enlarged bottom lawn.

I've included pics of the existing garden below.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks for taking the time to read this!

Slabs and brickwork + hedges and trees next to the wall removed with pleached trees lining the side

bushes on left and the tree on the right (as well as the slope into the lawn area where the play equipment is) will be moved forwards 2.5 metres

The 'L' of the bbq will come away from the window of the shed 2/3 metres

Featured Answer

Christopher CNC

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

I have to question the idea of putting a row of pleached trees in front of the neighbor's solar panels. That sounds like a big potential conflict. It may be better to use some other tree or shrub away from the panels in the line of light bouncing into the kitchen lounge for blockage.

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Comments (7)

decoenthusiaste
3 years ago
Do you have a drawing of your plans?
Matt P
Original Author
3 years ago
I don't, I'm guessing that should be the next stage.
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In order to get help, your property needs to be better understood than the above pictures allow. I suggest you line up with an axis that runs roughly through the center of the house and take a contiguous, slightly overlapping set of photos that pan across the property. I drew a sketch to help explain what I mean. Since I'm rough guessing and inaccurately drawing the layout, take it with a grain of salt and adjust for real life conditions. Since the patio is elevated, the camera needs to be high up. I suggest taking the pictures while standing on a step ladder or from the bed of a pickup truck. Try to take sharp, well lit photos.
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Yardvaark
3 years ago
That's what I would suggest, too ... creating a master plan of the applicable portion of the yard. Start with a base plan, which includes only those things that are permanent. Don't show plants; show beds. Show tree trunks but not canopies. Keep the drawing clean and simple and make it to scale. Post it here.

In regard to pictures, it is little use to show pieces of scenes taken from various angles. The goal is to let people get familiar with the property and that means seeing broad views from end to end. This can be done with pano feature of camera if the overall length is not too great. Stand somewhere in line with the center of the scene. Include the house in the scene as a point of reference.
Matt P thanked Yardvaark
Matt P
Original Author
3 years ago
Existing garden:

Rough layout of new garden (L shape bbq coming into the garden from the first garage window & patio in the front part of the image)
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
I’m guessing you’re in the U.K. So from a practical point view I’d question the white rendered wall. We aren’t in California. It’s not in keeping with your locality by the look of it and it’ll be green in no time. I’d use the same local brick which the garage has. Also consider the cost benefit of the pizza oven. Given our climate and the time it takes to produce proper pizzas, how much use will it get for the cost? How long before it becomes a rusty eyesore like my neighbour’s? Btw the garage is beautiful. I love the brick and single Roman tiles. With heavy pruning the Pyracanthas can be got back in shape. You might consider a focal point in the middle of the boundary hedge in line with the gap in the new low wall and to be viewed from the house. Maybe recycle your arbour. Btw the pictures are fine if one is familiar with our small back gardens. It’s clear what each one is showing and how they link together.
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Yardvaark
3 years ago
I had the same thought that screening the solar panels would be a delicate issue. Not enough site info here to speculate on how best to do it.

Does the kitchen abut the garage? Would be weird to have a skinny space between the two. To evaluate the plan, one would need to know how all of this interfaces with the house.

garden design advice/suggestions appreciated

Christopher CNC

Comments (7)

decoenthusiaste

Matt P
Original Author

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garden design advice/suggestions appreciated

Christopher CNC

Comments (7)

decoenthusiaste

Matt POriginal Author

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Yardvaark

Matt POriginal Author

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Matt P
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Matt P
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